Living off the Page

Fam, the life of a writer is the creative adventure of lifetime.

Well…Most days. 😆

Some days, you’re stymied by writer’s block the size of Mount Rushmore.

Or…

You’re struggling to hatchet your way through a rewrite you’re not even sure you like anymore.

Or…

You’re licking your wounds from a rejection that should have rolled off your back like water off a duck, but instead it’s sticking around like Juicy Fruit glued to your favorite pair of kicks.

Don’t get me wrong. I know everything I just described is the price we, writers, pay for the privilege we get to make up stories, birth characters and create worlds on the page.

But as Rag’n’Bone Man says, “I’m only human, after all.” And when the ups and downs of my career throw my work-life-balance out of whack, the only way I can protect my gift and reclaim my peace is when I cling to courage and live life off the page.

This motto has helped me skydive in Santa Barbara, hike the Grand Canyon, and trek to France alone (among other adventures). So, this isn’t new to me.

But today, I when I found myself face to face with a python — named Monica of all things — I had to remind myself to take a page out of my own book and grab life — I mean, a snake — by both hands!

As you can tell by my smile, I wasn’t scared of Monica. In fact, she gave me a great neck massage.

I also didn’t die. 😂

And living off the page and surviving to tell our stories is what it’s all about.

Right?